McKenzie, North Dakota’s Black Leg Ranch is raising the bar when it comes to diversifying the operation.

Most beginning cattlemen would get discouraged when paying $400 a pair in pasture leases only to get $1.40 for 5-weight steers. And, on top of that, staying up-to-date with loan payments and the daily expenses that accrue when raising cattle.

Pete Hymel may not have the biggest operation in the Southeast. But he certainly has one the best-smelling ranches.

Avery Parrish and his wife of 59 years, Raye, call Saluda, South Carolina, home. Avery describes himself as a “jack of all trades and master of none.”

Based in Pomona, Kansas, Judd Ranch has garnered distinction as the American Gelbvieh Association’s number one breeder and owner of Dams of Merit and Dams of Distinction for 20 of the past 21 years, a testament to the management and genetics the first-generation operation has worked to develop.

With a solid reputation for raising quality Braunvieh-influenced cattle that grow fast and garner carcass premiums, Mitchell Farms was named the 2017 Commercial Producer of the Year during the BAA Annual Meeting in Kansas City in October 2018. Located just north of Frederick, Oklahoma, the Mitchell family runs about 650 cows and proudly uses Braunvieh bulls to sire feed-efficient, high-performance cattle.

Location, location, location. The saying applies to more than just the real estate business, and for Oklahoma, it is a key factor in producing beef.